Possession
by Avelera
Summary: Yuna falls into a state of despair when Tidus is not returned to her after the battle with Vegnagun. When she vanishes, the Gullwings set out in pursuit, fearing for her safety. But a greater darkness lurks behind Yuna's eyes, a force that has been unleashed from the Farplane, intent on revenge. Inspired by the the Sad Ending.
1. Chapter 1

**Possession**

**Disclaimer:** All characters and settings belong to the Final Fantasy franchise and Square Enix.

**Author Note**: I began this story back in 2006 as a response to the Sad Ending of FFX-2. I hope you will forgive the somewhat amateur writing, but I think the story has some potential to be entertaining, which is why I posted it here. It is about half-way finished, and I'm hoping some reviews will help rekindle my interest in completing it.

You may notice that song names have been interspersed throughout the text. They are meant only to set a mood. If you find them annoying or distracting, please let me know and I will remove them.

* * *

_(Thanks.)_

_"You're very welcome."_

_(You heard it, didn't you? You want to see him?)_

_"Him?"_

_(Yes. You want to walk together again?)_

_"…No, its better this way."_

So that was it. Vegnagun was destroyed and Shuyin put to rest. The shadows of our past were dispersed, the words spoken, the tears shed. Perhaps things will return to normal now, or as normal as they can be after our world was nearly destroyed in the infancy of the so-called Eternal Calm.

And I? What will I do? Sphere hunting, I suppose. More adventures, more staying up late giggling with Rikku and smiling in the face of Paine's long-suffering sighs. More of life as it has been for the past two years; an endless flurry of fun, adventure, and laughter. But it will not last. Baralai and Nooj plan to reveal all recovered spheres to the public, so Spira's past may be known by all. Sphere hunting will slow to a trickle then fade. And yet I'll still be there. And you will not.

I'm no good…at all. All my life I've had the single purpose: help people, make them happy even at the cost of my life. I became a Summoner to achieve this end and there was security in the knowledge of my death. As you said, I could worry about my future after I defeated Sin. But I had no future and so no worries.

I can't go back to the life I lived after you left. I can't go back to wasting away on Besaid as tides of pilgrims come to thank me, to worship me as their savior. I have tasted freedom in its purest state. For nearly two years I traveled, without a care in the world except to find you. That was my future. That was all there was.

I searched all of Spira, combed through every nook and cranny but all I found was a reminder of you and of how you were my dream, the one that faded when I awoke. And so with the same single-minded purpose with which I ran to my death at Sin's hand, I pursued Shuyin's redemption. I would stop at nothing to save him. I would stop at nothing to drive out the knowledge that no matter what I did, you weren't coming back.

He was so like you! I truly thought... I truly believed that he was. My mind happened upon a desperate scheme: save Shuyin and you would be returned to me. In my fevered state it made perfect sense.

He looked like you, fought like you….and disappeared like you, into the light. He left me alone once more. Shuyin had been saved, but you were still not there.

The realization is overwhelming. It floods me and reaches deep inside to the tears that have been locked up since my father's death. But the locks are too strong and I do not cry. Only stop for a moment, amongst the sugar-spun flowers and endless rainbow waterfalls of the Farplane. Rikku and Paine walked on, leaving me behind.

Always after the world is saved, Yuna is left behind.

-Yuna and Tidus-_Remember Me_-Josh Groban-

_Are you out there?_ I wonder, _Why can't I see you? Why did Shuyin come to me, why didn't you?_ I release a long shuddering breath and begin to take a tired step after my retreating companions when a warm weight descends upon my shoulders and a pair of translucent arms engulf me. I glance back in surprise and feel my limbs freeze at the sight of you.

A ghost. Holding me. "It's you," I whisper as if speaking too loud will frighten you away, "You were with me the whole time. I kept thinking you might be…kept hoping." The arms tighten and I smile. I try not to think about how I can see through him, how every blissful second in his embrace is identical to the day I lost him. Remember to smile, Yuna, always keep a brave face. "But you know..." That I love you? That my life is now meaningless because you are here, on the Farplane? Dead? "I'm not worried anymore." That's right Yuna, keep smiling. You are their light, their hope. No matter what happens, never let the mask slip. "You will always have a place…here in my heart." I hide my choking sob. He's here, don't ruin the moment. Just tell him then…let him go. "We'll always be connected." because the day I discovered you were on the Farplane was the day my heart died.

You do not speak but I can feel my sorrow echoed by yours. It's as if the pyreflies dodging in and out of your body are carrying your emotions into me, through me, then leaving me. Please, don't leave me. Please don't tell me you have to go…

His arms did not release me but I feel them fading and I could see the light of the pyreflies as they glow bright for a second then dim and disperse.

"I love you," I say, always a second too late.

Yet still the tears do not fall. A breeze brushes past my face, lingering on my lips like a kiss. I turn from it.

Remember to smile, Yuna…

I walk away, leaving you and the Farplane behind.

* * *

**Author Note:** Thank you for reading! This is by far the shortest chapter, so I hope you're looking forward to more! This story is about 50% complete already, so if you like where its going please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

_"What was that?"_

-Return to the Celsius-_Behind these Hazel Eyes_-Kelly Clarkson-

"Hey, Yuna?" Paine's boyish alto rang out as I stepped out of the portal and back into the world of the living. "What took you?"

"Ooh!" Rikku squealed, pawing at the air as was her way when she got excited, "Did you see someone _special_?"

I froze, rooted to the floor, the color draining from my face. How could she? I looked at Rikku, stricken.

Rikku's hands fell to her sides. "Oh," Paine was staring at my cousin as if she had never seen her before. The paralysis lifted and I strode past her towards the cabin.

"Well that isn't very nice!" Rikku exclaimed, "I thought for sure the Fayth would bring him back when they found out how much you had gone through, Yunie!"

"Rikku!" Paine said harshly, trying to silence her.

"Please don't," I murmur. I speak not as Yuna of the Gullwings but as High Summoner, defeater of Sin who saw her lover die on the day of her greatest victory. Rikku hears the change in my voice and knows what it means. Could she hear the tears as well? A little farther, I'll be alone soon. "Don't bring up that subject. The Fayth cannot raise the dead."

My steps echo in the hollow cabin. Nobody is there, not even Barkeep. I feel the pressure begin to build behind my eyes and each breath is forced through my constricting throat. Every movement is leaden; I hardly have the energy to make it to my own bed. To simply collapse here on the floor would be so easy. Now I can't even see anymore anyway, everything is blurred around me like a painting that has been splashed with water; all the colors running together, dripping to the floor. I stumble and somehow manage to collapse onto one of the beds. It is not my own, yet the smell is familiar. Gel, scentless soap, and steel: Paine's smell. I take a few more shuddering breaths and close my eyes, forcing out the thick sheen of water. I can feel the hot tears scald my face, cooling as they meander towards my throat. I grab the pillow, desperate to hold onto something and bury my face in the down until it nearly suffocates me. For the first time since I was seven I truly let go, crying until there were no tears left. It felt as if every painful drop was carrying with it a piece of my sorrow but the moisture dried up long before the pain inside.

All I could see was your face; all I could feel was your arms around me, a mixed memory between that last embrace two years ago and the warm mist of your phantasmal arms on the Farplane. Outside my window I can feel the darkness of night descending upon my skin and occasionally I hear the patter of footsteps up the stairs. At one point Paine calls out softly that they will be going to a party thrown by Nooj in our honor, if I wish to come. The receding sound of her heels clacking on the steel floor is my only answer.

"Hey, where's Yunie?" Rikku exclaimed, snapping out of her early-morning daze. The party the night before had been a blast but now everyone was feeling the aftershocks.

"Still asleep maybe?" Buddy said as he resumed his place in the navigator seat, cracking his knuckles noisily.

"No," Paine sauntered through the bridge door which shut like a trap behind her. "She's not in the cabin."

"_WHAT_?! Yuna is missing?!" Brother exclaimed, "Where has she gone? We must search the area! We'll question anyone who might have seen her! If anything has happened-!"

"Its unlikely that anyone kidnapped Yuna," Shinra's misty, lisping voice chimed in. "To do so they would have to know all the ships codes and defenses, have disabled all the cameras, and…" he pushed himself up out of the chair and leaned against the back facing them, "they'd have to get past me. Which is impossible," he hopped back down and back typing vigorously into the central database. "Not to mention I have sphere cameras set up in all the hallways and I usually skim them for anything unusual at the end of the day. Yuna was alone when she left."

"And you wait until _now_ to tell us this?" Brother demanded, beginning to assume an 'I'm the captain' edge to his voice.

"Yeah, why didn't you say sooner that she left?" Paine added.

Shinra shook his head, "It didn't seem important. All Yuna did was leave the ship carrying a bag. I thought she was going to the party."

Rikku rolled her eyes at the boy-genius' excuse when what he had said hit her like a rock between the eyes. "She left with a_suitcase_?"

"Mission time, Gullwings!" Brother cried, leaping into the cockpit, "Full speed ahead, we must save Yuna!"

"No."

Four pairs of Al Bhed eyes swiveled in Paine's direction. "What do you mean no? Yuna is gone! We must bring her back!" Brother said.

"Why?" Paine said calmly, advancing on Brother in a manner that was not intentionally menacing but could easily be mistaken when it was coming from the pale, crimson-eyed warrior. "It was her decision to leave. Why should we chase her down as if she has done something wrong?"

"Yeah, but Painey," Rikku said in a small voice, suddenly bereft of her usual chipper bravado, "What if she was in trouble? She was acting strange all last night, remember?"

Paine slowed her advance and turned to Rikku, thereby missing Brother's sigh of relief, "You're right, it is unlike her to leave without a word to any of us…. Has anyone checked for a note?" she puffed a sigh of disgust at the startled look on all their faces and stalked back to the cabin

* * *

Paine ran a black-gloved finger along the length of the bar, scanning the walls and floors almost lazily with her crimson eyes. It was the only way to hide her discomfiture. In the time she had known Yuna she would never have expected the High Summoner to purposefully cause her friends to worry. Not that her goody-two-shoes questing didn't cause migraines all around, but Yuna had a good head on her shoulders, hence Paine's certainty over the note.

Shinra had gone down to the engine room, in case Yuna had pinned her farewell letter to the hatch while the rest of the Gullwings combed the cabin, the last place Yuna had been seen. With an angry shout Rikku slapped Brother's hands away from Yuna's drawers, admonishing him noisily in Al Bhed before beginning to rifle through the drawers herself. Brother spared a moment to pout before moving on to the beds.

By now Paine was sure that the first floor was well searched and so she sauntered up the stairwell and leaned against the rail, regarding the yet untouched beds. Brother had already torn apart his own bed and Rikku's to no avail; though Paine wouldn't have been surprised if he had destroyed the note as well. Just as she was turning away to head back down the stairs, something caught her attention and her eyes flickered to her own bed and narrowed. The coverlet was rumpled and there was a slight indentation in the pillow that she was certain was not caused by any of the other 'detectives'. Crouching beside her bed she ran one long-fingered hand beneath the folds of cloth then casting dignity aside fell to all fours, ducking underneath.

"Heya! Dr. P!" Paine started then winced as her leg banged hard into the nightstand. Glancing back in annoyance she allowed the full force of her irritation be packed into a single word. "_What_?"

Rikku remained blithely oblivious. "Didja find anything?"

"No-" Paine stopped. A tiny scrap of paper fluttered to the floor from her nightstand. There was a faint rasp as her gloved fist closed over it and she emerged from beneath the bed. She carefully opened it and saw what was unmistakably Yuna's handwriting:

_Goodbye_.

* * *

Ever since I allowed myself to cry that night, I have found myself unable to stop. It was as if behind the wall of strength I have forged over the years there had been a lifetime of tears built up that all at once decided to break free. Few would recognize me as I am now, the High Summoner and twice savior of Spira sniffling beneath the hood of my white mage dresssphere, my face red and blotchy and my eyes swollen with tears.

The Mi'hen Highroad was filled with south-bound traffic as everyone traveled to Luca for the celebration, the likes of which had not been seen since the defeat of Sin two years ago. But it was not because of the traffic that I kept to a small path that ran adjacent, hidden by the long grass, but rather because I knew that the Gullwings would soon be on my trail and then even my disguise would not hide me then. They would poke and prod me, asking me questions, admonishing me as if I were a child running away from home.

_But that's what I'm doing, right? Running away from home._

I had to get away, to go somewhere where no one can find me.

No one.

* * *

Author Note: Please drop a note if you're interested in seeing more of this story! I'm currently in the process of publishing a lot of my older works. This one is over half complete and is being posted for posterity, if you're interested in seeing the whole story please make your interest known!


End file.
